The Last of Us 2
by OwlofFICTION
Summary: This story follows The Last of Us. Once Ellie and Joel return to Tommy's dam they live a peaceful life. That is until trouble finds them again. As a result, Joel has to get back Ellie and he will do whatever is necessary to bring her back.When Ellie learns of a big secret will she want to go back and live in Tommy's Dam or is there nothing left there for her? Not even Joel.
1. Chapter 1

**Introduction**

* * *

"Joel." A familiar voice called out to me with a blood curling scream. I attempted to shout back but nothing came out I wanted to reassure her that she would be okay. All I could manage through my quick shallow breath was one word.

"Ellie."

I could hear the call of the clickers as I ran toward Ellie's screams. I didn't stop until I reached Ellie who was lying on the ground. I lifted her up only for her face to change into a face I hadn't seen in over 20 years. It was my daughter Sarah, barely breathing in my arms.

"D-dad?" she asked faintly. Her eyes flicked and then the corner of my eye I saw a thin figure walking toward us.

"We're shitty people, Joel it's been that way for a long time."

"Tess." I turned my head and standing there was a scavenger holding a gun straight to my head.I closed my eyes The gun fired twice and I opened my eyes to see Ellie again collapsing. I stumbled forward before I clutched my side. Blood was beginning to seep through my clothing and I fell to my knees.

"Ellie," I whispered once more. "Ellie!"

**Summer**

I woke up in cold sweat despite the warm July air blowing through the open window in my room. Dawn was starting to peek over the horizon. I swung my feet over the side of the bed and grabbed my cane. With a soft moan I forced myself to my feet and made my way downstairs. I pulled out a skillet and started making breakfast for the morning. I inhaled the air. The sizzling bacon made a nice aroma in the house that made it feel normal like the old days.

The soft creak of the wooden floor boards echoed through the house as Ellie came downstairs. She went in the fridge and grabbed a jug of milk.

"The milk spoiled," she said. "Bummer."  
"I'll go shopping later." I replied.

"You're not walking with you cane again." she said.

"For God's sake it's just next to the chair." I told her.

Ellie looked me in the eyes, "You have more grey in your beard old man."

"I'm gettin' old." I chuckled.

"Look I'll go get groceries." she said.

"Fine,"I concluded. "Don't take to long."

"I won't." she said running upstairs. I smiled and took off the finished breakfast off of the fire. I poured myself a glass of orange juice when the light in the kitchen died.

"The power outages are becoming more frequent." Ellie shouted out.

"Tommy must be having a problem with the generators." I muttered.

"I'll be right back." Ellie said grabbing the grocery list.

I turned to look at her.

"Nope, no way you're wearing that outside my house." I said.

She had on a small tank top that she had obviously found in one of the drawers upstairs and a pair of torn up blue jeans.

"What's wrong with it?" Ellie protested.

"It has too much - uh shoulder." I replied.

"Too much _shoulder_?" she scolded.

"Ellie, during my day men where animals so imagine what they are now," I sighed. "Trust me I was a guy once."  
"Once, where did your balls go Joel?" she giggled.  
"Ha-ha very funny." I said. "Trust me I was quite the -uh- player."

"Joel the player."

"Yes now go put something else on."

Ellie furiously stomped back upstairs. I walked over to a sofa before I spilled most of the orange juice and doubled over the soft rug.

"God- dammit." I spat out. Ellie returned and helped me onto the couch.

"You need to stay still." she ordered.

"You-ooh- you know I can't," I grimaced. This pain in my side had returned. "But I'll try- just for you."

"You better," she said swinging on her backpack. "You just fucking better."

As soon as the door locked behind her I lifted my shirt to see the scar. The scar was closing up but could still be faintly seen on my skin. I had got it a couple of years ago when I was trying to deliver Ellie to Fireflies only to find out they would potentially kill her. I had fallen on a big rusty rod that impaled my side. It was the time I was the most vulnerable and the time when Ellie was in the most danger. I tried to keep up a tough face in front of her so she would know everything would be okay.

Tears began to form in my eyes.

You're getting soft Joel, the voice of my little brother, Tommy, said in my head. Just to prove I could I went down to the ground and did twenty push ups and then twenty more but halfway through the second set I collapsed on the soft rug and let my ears ring for a minute. I could feel my heart beat inside my chest until I forced myself to do another push up, my hands were shaking violently so I switched to curl ups and did a few of those.

Exhausted I grabbed my cane and went to the back of the house I went for a quiet stroll. I walked and walked in silence until I saw an old tire. It was one of those huge heavy tires that you'd expect to see on one of them monster trucks and such. It brought a small smile to my face. It brought back a memory of Tommy and I when we were stupid teenagers in Texas.

Back then ,we were dumb testosterone driven males so we liked to challenge each other: _Can you lift this up? _or _Can you ask this girl out first?_ Our lives were dares with one another. One hot summer day, Tommy claimed how I was bragging about how much muscle I had.  
"It ain't bragging if its true Tommy." I told him.

"Right then, I'd like to see your muscles in action. Winner keeps the truck." Tommy said, spitting in his palm and holding it out to shake. In our yard we had this old red Ford truck that I'd saved up money for to fix for four summers working hard. I had just ordered some parts that were to arrive soon. Frankly I think Tommy just wanted to piss me off and embarrass me if I lost so I'd put down my bottle of soda and got to work.

I stood over the tire and stared at it for a moment.

I remember what Tommy had said on that day as I stared at the tire as I did now. _"It's now or never Joel."_

"It's now or never Joel." I muttered. I bent my knees and tried to get a grip under the tire. As soon as I did, I heaved up with a loud groan.


	2. Chapter 2

**TOMMY**

* * *

"Fucking Joel." I muttered under my breath as I shut the door behind me and began my journey to town. It would take me 20 minutes to make it into town unless-.

Living in Jackson County, I knew my way around like the back of my hand. There was this shortcut but it was swarming with stalkers and on occasions wolves.

_It's summer_, I told myself,_ there are no wolves in the summer time._

With that thought, I began to jog general direction the town. In my bag I reached for my knife. Joel wanted me to keep it on me always. I grabbed around until I found something else. It was a couple of crumpled-up pictures of me and my best friend, Riley. I remembered the day that we had taken it clearly as if it were yesterday. Fighting back tears, I glanced at it for a second before I simply let it go and pulled out my clean pocketknife.

On the way to the town I tried my best to entertain myself. I tried to whistle but that didn't work out. I imitated the animal sounds such as the birds and the other wildlife. In the end I was always just as bored.

For the last two years life has been this quiet blur. Joel and I didn't do anything dangerous anymore we just stayed at the house and played games and read books. Joel was getting slightly better I guess and I think I liked it better when we we're traveling. Life was just more interesting even if it was more dangerous. The other part of me was glad Joel's brother allowed us to stay here because here was a lot better than most places. I shivered as I remembered David and the cannibals that I had encountered two years earlier. It was so disgusting how people could eat other people and _live_ with themselves.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of a Clicker that had wandered into a clearing. I took up cover next to a tree and looked at its movements. Careful I turned and began to back away when a small twig snapped under my feet.

"Please don't have heard me." I pleaded. The Clicker turned in my direction and began to charge over until a shot hit it in the head and threw it of balance,then another made it fall to the ground, and finally with the last shot the creature turned silent and died.

"Jesus, how did one of them get out here?" a voice asked. The first man was about twenty with soft eyes

"There must be someone living 'round here." another voice replied. This one was at least a couple years younger than Joel but looked like more hard set guy with a ruthless attitude..

"Are there really zombies out here too?" the first voice asked again.

"They're all over." the second voice grumbled.

I got out of cover and walked toward them. "Hey!"

The older man with the gun pointed it at me."Stay right there little girl."

"Put the gun down, it's just a little girl." the other guy said, waving for the man to lower his rifle.

I put my hands in the air and walked toward them.

"You lost." said the man with the gun.

"No, but I think you are." I replied.

When I was in arms reach the man with the gun grabbed my left arm and examined it.

"She's bit." he exclaimed. I shook my forearm from his grasp and fell on the ground. He loaded his gun as I took out my knife and stabbed him as hard as I could in his leg. He let out a roar in pain.

I rushed to my feet and stabbed him again in the stomach and pushed him over on the ground. The second guy was already running off in the forest.

"Damn straight!" I shouted at him and took the rifle to fire a warning shot. I put the rifle on my back and continued on my path, with a grin on my face.

"Ellie, where's Joel," a guard exclaimed when I made it to the town.

"Home," I told him. "How's the job Jack?"  
"You know its okay," he said. "Go right in."

The streets were empty. In the streets children played otherwise guys with guns walked up and down the streets. When people were not in their homes, typically they were at the market, tavern, or church. I had never been able to stray very far from Joel the few times I actually came here. Joel liked the seclusion of being far away from this place.

"This place is going in a basket straight to hell." he told me.

I couldn't see that- just people surviving. The wanted to formulate an entire world that would feel like "normal."

"Damn Tommy,"somebody standing in the street said to another person. "What the fuck is he doing for us coped up in that house?"

"Haven't you heard," the other guy said, kicking at weeds growing in the cracks of asphalt. "Somethin' is up with his wife."

"Shit brother its been a long time." the first guy sighed.

"Since what?"

"Since I've had a smoke. Went to a proper church. Kissed a woman. Take home a woman."

"It's rough."

Curiosity made my touch the metal bars at the front of the locked up gate. I was curious. How much better was this old world? It seemed like its had its own share of issues. Poverty. Plagues. Warfare and idiots who think that can govern the entire world. The old world seemed full of the voices of the few who - if they can make the bullshit shinny enough then they get in places to make choices for millions of people. Then there were those people Joel told me bout that don't eat.

Maybe the end of humanity was meant to be our...

_Rapture._

Joel didn't tell me any of this. It was all in the documentaries I found in the house when we moved in. There were diaries too that were over 20 years old. The tapes showed collapsing of great towers, death a woman in Britain, warplanes bombarding cities, and sickness. There were great things too. A projectile was sent in space! Men and women, and children hugging one another. The diaries left off with the writer talking about the future and how great it would be. I guess that idea died a long time again.

"How old are you?"the bartender asked.

_How'd I get in the bar?_

"If I said I was 21 would you believe me?" I asked.

"Well I can't check your ID." he chuckled. "Here you are Ellie."

He poured me a glass of apple juice. "Drink up."

After snatching up the glass, I took two large sips of the refreshing beverage and climbed off of the old bar stool. In went over and sat at an empty table. The guys in bar were exchanging stories. All of them were clearly lies but I wasn't going to be the one that pointed that out.

A guy that just came from the bar sat down at my table, and slammed the heavy foaming cup of beer on the wooden tables. He tipped some of his drink in my apple juice.

"Drink up." he told me.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" I asked, taking a sip of the mix.

"I usually like to get a few drinks in before I take them to bed," he said, chuckling. " The impressing part comes later."

"Wow," I said pushing away my drink. Joel was right all men are pigs. "Do you have the manly parts to satisfy me?"

"Yes I do." he said in an assuring voice.

"Oh then I guess I have to see." I said.

"Right here in the bar?" he asked, blushing. I reached under the table and looked for a loaded pistol that was on his belt. I pulled it out and aimed it right between his eyes.

"Jesus." he muttered.

"You better get fucking moving because I don't play games." I told him.

Around the bar his posse was beginning to stand up.

"Neither do _I,_bitch." he replied. Carefully, I stood up and made for the door. A slow walk eventually turned into a full on sprint down the street.

The drink was beginning to get to my head. The world was just a little bit more disoriented. If felt disconnected.

I tripped and let my self fall to the ground. It took me a few seconds to get back up. I turned to my opponents and took out my knife.

"Look I don't want trouble-" I began to say. Without a word they began to run toward me again.

Gulp, I thought, you are so dead Ellie.

Bang! A shot rang in my ear and the first goon fell clutching his side. The second goon got shot in the head and the rest ran away.

"Get in the house," the man who shot them ordered. "_Now_!"

The man shut the door behind me.

"You're Tommy aren't you?" I asked. I'd only seen him a handful of times before but never like this.

Tommy had a pirate-styled eye patch now and a huge hideous scar under it that even the patch couldn't conceal. He had grown out his beard. Now it was 40% bushier and had more grey hairs in it than even Joel. Under Tommy's eyes he had huge bags, as if at night he didn't get much sleep. He was wearing long sleeves and long jeans to keep out the cold draft that blew through the house.

Tommy held up a finger to his mouth.

We could hear the knocking around the house. Tommy loaded his pistol and made for the back door. I found a corner to watch him from. He put his back against the wall and listened for a minute next to the door. Suddenly a guy kicked up the door and Tommy grabbed him by the neck. For a few seconds, there was a struggle until the other guy stopped breathing.

"Wow that was cool." I exclaimed.

"Why did Joel send you here anyway?" He shouted.

"Joel has nothing to do with this." I told him.

"Bullshit." he pushed the body off of him and stood up.

"What the hell Tommy," I shouted. "What are you even doing anymore?"

"Living," he responded. "Can't I just do that?"

"What happened to the great leader,"I asked."The people need you."

"This place has gone to hell," he muttered. " They have electricity but eventually it'll be gone."

"So?"

"So, we can't maintain the power so we loose that that dam is gone," Tommy paused. "Everything changes."

"The town's already been taken over by ruffians and thugs," he continued. "Then there are bandit raids."

"Just leave."

"Ever heard of the phrase "The captain goes own with his ship." He said. "Plus I couln't leave if I wanted to."

"Why are you cooped up in this place," I asked. "What happened to the great leader."

"It ain't that easy," he sighed. "Maria's sick."

"Like bitten sick?" I asked.

"Jesus no." Tommy shot back at me.

"Joel and I can help."

"Half this town has turned into fucking scavengers," He said. "Goddammit I thought I could make something here."

Tommy, as far as Joel and I knew, had been working on this place ever since he left the Fireflies.

"Fucking Fireflies ruined me," he chuckled. " They are ruthless it wasn't that bad in the early days but you get tired of killing people and giving them hope just to kill them.I got tired of the killing."

"Marlene only did what was necessary."

"Really," he shot back. "You didn't see what I saw in the Fireflies."

"I had a friend in the Fireflies." I told him.

"Where the fuck are they now because of them?" he shouted.

"Dead." I replied.

"Exactly,don't even try to _comprehend_ what I've seen little girl." Tommy shouted, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

We stood quietly for a moment.

"You better get on home 'fore Joel starts worrying," he said. "He's more deadly then fifty Fireflies."

I had no doubt about that.

"See you later Tommy," I said, waving goodbye.

"Tell Joel one thing," Tommy said.

"What?"

"His little brother needs his help."


	3. Chapter 3

**Fall of Tommy's Dam**

* * *

Ellie arrived home to see me collapsed on the couch. I had a slight grin on my face because well I still got it.

"Hey Joel I saw Tommy today." she said. I instantly sat up, a little too quickly. A bone made a sound in my back.

"What'd he say?" I asked.

"He says he needs help," Ellie said. "Fuck I forgot to get butter."

"It's alright," I told her. "Did he say what for?"

"No, that was it."

"I'll go down there tomorrow." I said.  
"What did you do today?" she asked.

"Oh nothing."

Ellie nodded and went toward the stairs. I noticed she had quiet a few cuts and scratches.

"What the hell happened?" I said standing up. I winced a bit because of the extent of the pain I was in.

Ellie sighed. "Nothing just a small brawl in town."

"In which you were involved in?" I concluded.

"Maybe."

"Ellie,how am I to protect you if you keep putting yourself in danger."

"Honestly, it was the coolest thing that's happened in a while." she said.

"Really," I shot back. "Almost dying is cool opposed to-"

"Being stuck in this awful place,nothing ever happens." she shouted back. Ellie took off upstairs.

I thought for a minute then went up to Ellie's room.

"Alright then, so after I help out Tommy I guess we have to go on a vacation." I announced.

"Really?"  
"Really."

Ellie ran over and gave me a hug.

* * *

The same night I had the same nightmare but this time I could see Tommy.

"Hey Tommy," I said.

"I never want to see your goddamn face again." he said, then evaporated into thin air. I saw Sarah die again and Tess. I saw Henry and his little brother, Sam. Marlene. Everyone I had killed or seen dead. It was terrible because I was defenceless I couldn't protect anyone.

Not even Ellie.

I got up, careful not to wake Ellie, and got a cup of coffee to start the morning. Then I got dressed and left the house. The sun was just beginning to find its way above the horizon.

I made it to Tommy's house no problem and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Tommy its me." I said.

"Who the hell is 'Me'," he said, "Get the hell off my property."

"You're brother Joel." I sighed.

"Yeah, what about him." Tommy laughed.

"I'm Joel."

"If you say so." he said,opening the door. I walked inside.

"Don't I get a hug." Tommy asked.

Tommy had lines on his face now and a white scraggy beard. He had cut off all of the hair in his head and he looked at least ten years older.

"What happened to you?"

"I got older."

"I can see that," I laughed. "You can be the older brother now."

I hugged my brother and he lead me in a room with two other guys.

"Joel, this is Robert and Jeff." he said gesturing first to a man in an old suit,Robert. Considering it was the end of the world, the suit looked surprisingly in great condition with a nice purple tie but his beard was beginning to go grey. Jeff was much younger and looked in his early 30s. He was a clean shaven tall guy that was a few inches shorter than I. Jeff wore more casual clothing: a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Nice to meet you Joel." Robert said, outstretching his hand for a handshake. I shook is hand with a small grin.

"Have a seat." Tommy told me. I sat down on a sofa.

"What is this all about?" I asked.

"Jackson County is no longer safe," Robert said. " This experiment failed." Robert had said experiment with such a tone that seemed to hint at the fact he thought Tommy's Dam was doomed from the start.

"Power outages, thugs, and the ongoing- sickness," Jeff pipped up. "Simply it is all overbearing."

"Wait,we're just going to throw in the towel?"

"No but things are going to escalate quickly." Robert said. "That I can assure you."

"Why are you tell me this?"

"The rumors are true Joel," Tommy whispered. " Maria's sick and were losing our grip."

"Who's losing their grip?"

"All of us that protect this town." Robert replied.

"Joel, there is something I gotta tell you." Tommy said. "Earlier today some thugs were chasing Ellie."

"Did you take care of it?" I asked. Tommy paused for a second.

"I got rid of a couple but chances are their going to be back for me and her." he finished.

I put my face in my hands before I finally said. "I need to get home."

"Its to late Joel," said Jeff. "They already have her."

I turned to Jeff. "What did you just say?"

"Some of the members of my little group followed her home."

"Group?"

"Us scavengers have to stick together." Jeff said slowly revealing a pistol and pointing it at Tommy.

"Put down that damn gun," Tommy said. "Put it down."

"The dam is ours now Tommy." Jeff said. "OURS!"

Jeff fired the gun. The shot ringed in my ears for several seconds before I could comprehend what was going on. Robert was on the ground clutching his chest and Tommy was on his knees, holding his wounded friend in his arms.

Before I knew it, I had Jeff by the collar up against the wall.

"Look at me," I shouted. "Look at me you piece of shit, what are they doing to Ellie?"

He smiled."I dunno they might sell her. She is young and flexible. They might kill her." I punched him hard across the face and bashed him into the wall.

"Any way both her and this town are going to be gone before you can do anything about it.

I grabbed his gun and pointed it at his exposed sweating forehead. There was a moment of hesitation before I pulled the trigger and let Jeff's limp body fall to the floor. Putting away the gun, I walked up to Tommy.

"It's going to be okay," Tommy said holding his dying friend. " It's going to be alright."

"Tommy- I am so sorry about Maria." I said staring into his wet eyes.

Tommy replied, a slight quiver was inn his voice. " She had a miscarriage Joel. I lost my first child before I could even spend time with it."

The silence that resignation over the room spoke for both of us. I knew how it felt to lose someone earlier than they were supposed when the person is a son or a daughter it leaves a big hole in your heart.

Tommy got up from the ground and walked until he picked up an old bolt action hunting rifle.

"Go save your daughter." Tommy said. I took the gun and nodded.

I reached halfway to the door before I turned around. "What will you do?"

"You know, what I've always done," Tommy chuckled as he loaded and pumped his shotgun. "Survive."

* * *

On the streets, an all out fist fight had began. People were throwing rock, bottles, and anything else they could get their hands on. Then there was the initial impact zone where people were getting trampled over left and right. On both sides there were men,women, and children fighting. On the right a guy pulled out a pistol and shot it into the crowd. An unidentified person fell the ground dead, a puddle of dead blood surrounded him.A mother screamed and ran toward the body screaming in a blood curling voice. Another person pulled a pistol and shot another man and women and children. As more guns were pulled the streets became empty and were only littered with the bodies of the dead.

Hesitantly, I began my journey until a kid grabbed me on the shoulder.

"They have us surrounded." he said and lead me to cover behind a fence.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I-I know Ellie," he replied quickly. "I'm Matt."

Matt was a young kid around Ellie's age. He wore a striped green t-shirt that showed his pale arms that were covered in blood and scratches. His jeans were torn-up really bad and he was only wearing one sock. He had long shaggy red hair but behind that were innocent blue that didn't look like they had seen anything remotely close to what I had seen.

"Matt this isn't a kid's job."

"I know I'm staying here to fight but you can't get out," Matt insisted. "Tommy might be pushing to get the dam back for the stash of weapons."

As he said that,people who ran past us in panic were getting gunned down by sniper and shotgun fire.

"I think that stash is gone."

"_Shhhhhh._" he said holding a finger to my lips.

"This city is ours!" A man said throwing a match in a nearby house.

Matt got up and revealed a pistol. "You gotta get to Elli-"

The last part of his sentence was drown out by the sound of an explosion and twisting metal. A column of smoke was beginning to appear in the west.

"The dam." Matt gasped.

"Get out of here."

"I'm following you." Matt insisted.

"Fine your really stubborn." I sighed.

"Lets go get Ellie!" Matt exclaimed running into the busy street.

* * *

**A/N: I wrote this chapter rather quick. I have noticed that I've been writing this series too quickly so I plan on taking a break and maybe revising some other work and in an effort to make future chapters better than these. This series was supposed to be a break from all of the Marvel things I do but I realized that the stakes are too high and this game deserves justice so I will begin to work more on quality over quantity. I hope all of you can understand as I want to give all of you the best reading experience possible. I hope you enjoyed the read and please leave reviews because I am still a growing author of fanfiction. Thank you for all your support and stay safe!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Taken**

* * *

_Ellie, please, for once just stay at the house. Please Ellie._

My eyes were closed and my back to a wall. Gunfire,explosions, and the sound of helpless screams were the only sounds that resonated in the air.

"Matt we gotta more now!" I shouted.

"We have to wait for the gunfire to stop." Matt said, peering from the side of the building. There was no time.

I got up and ,still crouched, made it to a window.

"What are you doing?" Matt asked.

"Saving Ellie." I took a brick on the ground and shattered the glass enough to crawl through. I jumped through and took cover behind a counter. Matt jumped in but fell on his side.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"Yeah,yeah." he replied, brushing the glass shards off of him.

I left cover and went for the door. As soon as I opened the door, something came through the wind.

A molotov cocktail.

"Get out!" I shouted and went through the door. I punched the man who had another cocktail in hand, unlit. I grabbed the molotov and a revolver he had on his belt. The firing had yet to dull down. I continued on toward Ellie.

"There's a turret!" said a woman running the opposite direction of me. After that I saw it. There was a humvee with a mounted gun. I continued forward and raised my pistol and at the glass that was guarding the driver. Neither shot hit the same place and left ripples in the window shield. I ran for the next building to get a bit of cover. For a second I gathered my breath then poked my head around the corner.

There was a man dead about twenty feet away from me with a rifle strapped around his shoulder. I looked back at the revolver and opened up the chamber. Two rounds.

_For Ellie,_I thought. I ran out of cover and shot at the windshield. One of the shots went through the glass and blood spattered on the what was left of the windshield. The vehicle swerved into a building which gave me enough time to make it to the rifle. Lifting the man up from is back, I was able to slip the gun off of him. Before I went I searched for ammo and found a few rounds in his pocket.

Meanwhile the guy on the mounted gun was trying to position the gun at me. My heart began to beat faster as I searched the man's other pockets. There was nothing but his wallet and some pocket lint.

The gun began to fire again with a metallic machine gun sound as it shot up the ground around me. I got up and left the man's corpse to run back into cover. I made a hasty check of the chamber to see I already had a round ready to go. He died with his gun loaded.

Running low on time, I thought about my options. There was no way I could get through the turret.

Matt was peeking from his bit of cover and was shouting something at me but I couldn't hear him over the constant drum of turret fire. Suddenly, however the firing stopped. I forced myself to muster up the strength to look at the side.

The man in the turret was slowly attempting to pull himself out. He had his gun in one hand the other was propping him up. Personally, I felt sorry for him.

He messed with the wrong man.

Without hesitation, I pointed the rifle sights right between his eyes and pulled the trigger. The man fell limp and died on impact. Putting the rifle on my back, I ran for the gate.

Constantly, I was fighting back the negative thoughts. _What is she's not alright?_ My mind kept steering in the direction of remembering my past. I would always remember Sarah. S_he can't - Ellie won't die._ That I was not going to allow to happen while I was still alive. As a result, I had the urge to run faster. My breathing became heavy and the large lumps in my throat didn't get any better. The anticipation led to deterioration my emotional well being. However difficult it was I had to stay positive. _For Ellie,_ I remembered.

My train of thought broke as an odor reached my nose that smelled like. _Smoke!_ My eyes traveled across the horizon to see pillars of black smoke reaching for the first reaction was Ellie, then _The house is on fire_.

Without any time to think, I charged at the wreckage.

"Ellie," I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Ellie!" I came in to view of the front side of the house. Seven or eight bandits were carrying out all sorts of things from the house. Two of them were caring Ellie, who was struggling in an attempt to get out of their grasp.

The first one that saw me dropped a carton of eggs and began to fire at me with machine gun fire, which forced me to take cover behind a tree in the front yard.

"Kill this asshole!" shouted the man who was spraying the tree with bullets.

"Frank what happened." asked another guy.

"There was some dude in the trees,Joey." said Frank.

Joey replied. "Then why the hell aren't you out there looking for him? Those were some good eggs by the way."

"I don't know." he answered.

I took a glance from cover and looked at Ellie who was in the back of the truck.

There was no option. _They are going to kill her Joel._

No,I thought, that isn't an option.

I got out of cover. "Give me my girl."

Joey looked at me. "That one?" He pointed to the truck.

"Yeah." I said.

"Well you see that truck and its contents are ours." he said, taking out his gun. " The way this goes is you are going to let us take what is ours and leave. Got that."

Joey began to wave about his gun until eventually he pointed it at my chest.

"No." I replied."

"Wrong answer." He said, staring me in the face as he pulled the trigger.

I passed out on the ground.

"Is he dead?" asked Frank.

"I think so." another guy said.

Slowly, I opened my left eye to see both guys standing over me with their guns away. Instantly, I grabbed my revolver and shot one of them under the chin and dragged the other down to the ground. He kicked me in the face twice and I spit out a mouth full of blood. Next, after a bloody struggle of clawing I got on top of him and punched him across the face.

"Please don't."

"Ain't nobody takes Ellie, got that Frank," I growled and snapped his neck.

I pushed myself away from his lifeless corpse and felt a the wet warm spot of my cloths. Blood.

With much effort, I got up and went into cover.

"Time to go, Frank and Tim get back here!" Joey shouted.

"What if that guy wasn't dead?" one of the four guys left asked.

"We have to get back to attacking the dam this place was just a pit stop," Joey said. "Come find us when you're done being jack-offs!"

The engine of the truck started and the bandits all loaded up to leave. I clutched tightly to the wounded part of my chest as Ellie was taken from me without hope to ever see me again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Alone**

* * *

Before these idiots busted in and took our stuff, I was making pancakes. Joel showed me how to make them and honestly they were the most delicious thing that ever graced my taste-buds. I put the spatula in the pan and made an attempt to get a good angle to flip over the pancake.

_Okay it isn't that hard Ellie_, I thought, _just flip it over._

Joel always knew what to do. He was the only person I had.

At that moment there was a knock on the door. "Finally, Joel!" I exclaimed. "I need you're help, this fucking pancake."

I turned both of the locks and swung the door wide open really fast. On the other side wasn't Joel. The looters put me in a bag and tossed me in their truck. When Joel got back I had heard a single gunshot then silence.

In the darkness of the bag, I fought off going to sleep. I was so anxious to see where I was being taken.

When I'm anxious I like to talk.

"Hey assholes," I shouted as loud as I could. "Where are you taking me?"

"Shut the hell up!" a voice responded.

_Where is Joel? He has to be looking for me? After all we've been through?_ As we continued to drive, I kept hoping that the next face I saw would be Joel helping me out of this prison. The more time passed was the harder I tried to believe that I would be saved.

Eventually,the truck slowed to a halt and the engine shut off. The doors of the truck shut and then there was silence. After a few minutes, there was laughter and conversation. I tried to hear what they where saying but I only managed to pick up bits.

"That guy we killed was after some girl," one of them chuckled. "Must have been his daughter."

"Oh shit she's still in the back." I heard footsteps begin to walk toward the truck and pull down the back. He tugged on the back and opened it up. Without a word I got on my feet. I could feel the barrel of the man's gun brush against the back of my neck.

"Are you hungry," he asked.

"Starving." I muttered, in a horse dry voice.

"I can imagine your throat's sore yelling some guy's name half the way here," he said, preparing a plate of food which was just a piece of bread and some canned meat. I had not even know I'd been calling for Joel but I could sure feel the soreness in my throat. "You should stop 'cause he's dead.

"You're a liar." I screamed.

"That guy," he said pointing to a man siting at the campfire drinking a beer and laughing. "Shot him."

Another man asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Fine," he replied and handed me my food. "Sit over there."

They tied both of my hands then sat me down far away but still in a clear line of sight. After they were all partied out Joel's killer stood up.

"Eventful day boys." said Joel's Killer. "Tomorrow we keep moving. Get some rest."

"What do we do with the cargo?" one of them asked.

"I think I'll keep here in my tent, after all I need some company." he chuckled and the rest followed in laughter. One of the guys poured water on the fire and Joel's killer came and dragged me off to his tent.

"Get comfortable." he growled.

"Leave me alone asshole." I said.

Joel's Killer grabbed me buy the neck and squeeze tightly before he let me go to fall on the ground.

"You'll get used to gasping for breath in a minute." he laughed.

I crawled off into a corner of the tent and pretended to sleep. Only a few seconds later, the tent was filled with the sound of his heavy snoring. I got up and looked for a weapon: his gun- a knife- anything. As soon as I found a knife, Joel's killer woke up.

"What are you doing," he asked, climbing to his feet. I hid the knife behind my back. "Huh girl?"

Joel's killer grabbed a pistol from next to his bed roll and aimed it between my eyes. He slowly advanced toward me. Finally he reached me. My hands were quivering so much I stood paralyzed. Joel's killer snatched the knife.

Joel's killer chuckled. " In all honestly we were just going to sell you with the rest and be done."

"Now, you have pissed me off." Joel's killer said.

"You're a nice looking girl," he said. "You would be worth more in pristine condition. I don't think your owner will notice."

Joel's killer ran the knife lightly across my cheek before he grabbed my neck and pushed me on his bedroll. I tried to get up but he forced me back down.  
"Don't be shy." he whispered in my ear as he began to take off his clothes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Weight of Living**

* * *

As I leaned up against what could possibly be my death, I struggled to hold on to the hope that I could save Ellie. She had nobody else but me and it would be selfish of me to leave her alone to whatever was out there. Inside of my head my conscious chuckled. When have I ever thought about anyone else. In my head I could see Marlene's face as I murdered her. The gunshot rung in my ears. Ellie could have saved humanity and I passed that up. She would have died, I told myself. However it seemed like I had simply delayed the inevitable. Ellie was still gone. I couldn't protect her.

My eyes fluttered open and closed as I slowly lost my grip on life.

"Texas," said a familiar voice.

I looked up into the trees. Standing there was Tess. "T-Tess."

"What are you doing," Tess asked.

"I can't do anything else," I shouted.

"So you're just going to turn in the towel," Tess asked. "That isn't the Joel I knew."

"I ca-," I began to say.

"Shut up, that isn't the point, asshole," she shouted. "You have to try. For me a-and..."

For Sarah.

"Wake up Texas," she said. "You have to wake up."

Wake up..._Wake up_...

I regained consciousness on the hot summer dirt. The blood on my cloths had now dried, gluing my cloths to my flesh. The blood now clotted the wound but I still felt very weak and dizzy. I clawed into the bark of a nearby tree until I was on my feet.

I let out an involuntary moan as I pushed off of the support of the tree. Almost instantaneously, my knees buckled and I fell back onto the grass. I spat a mouthful of blood on the grass and forced myself back up. My knees still shaky and weak I grabbed a branch roughly my height and used it as a cane. Gradually I made my way to the stables where we had two horses in their pens. During her free time Ellie wanted me to teach her horseback riding. I unlocked the pen and touched the nose of the calm chestnut stallion. With my free hand I tugged on the saddle and strapped it tight.

The most difficult part was getting on.

On my first attempt, the jets of pain shooting through my side was too much and I found myself doubled over on the ground, vomiting.

I spend a minute catching my breath as my at first heavy breathing turned into a normal rhythm. Then, I tried again. This time I puled myself up from the opposite side of my body from a side that wouldn't press into my wound. Once I was in a comfortable position I grabbed the reigns and made the horse start at a slow trot away from the wreckage of our house.

"Dad." said a voice behind me."

I turned steered the horse so I was point toward the person.

"S-Sarah." I said, extending my hand to her from the reigns. A second later she disappeared with the wind.

I knew what I had to do.

I turned around and spurred the horse without ever looking back.

_I've struggled a long time with surviving, but no matter what you have to find something to fight for._


	7. Chapter 7

**I know it has been a while since I have updated this story but I took a little while off. I am back now and will try to get these chapters out on a weekly basis. I have been writing but updating has recently been an issue. That being said I have set a schedule and will post what I have for The Last of Us 2 as I write it. That means another chapter is coming really soon. Please review positive comments on what you like and what you don't. How can I make this better? Thank you in advance for reading! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Isolation**

* * *

Things were beginning to look less than bleak now.

Joel is dead, I told myself.

There was no hope of anyone coming to save me. The realization hit me like a huge slap in the face. During the times where I was able to keep consciousness I calculated that I was at least 5 or 6 days away from Tommy's camp by car. Every mile that was added made me feel even sicker. There was no Joel and I had no hope of rescuing myself. I had tried to escape several time; there were several cuts and bruises to prove that. Not to mention the things they had done to me-

Suddenly the van came to a halt. I heard the car door open and shut on both sides. Then the door opened wide and the bright air flooded into the back of the truck. In an attempt to block the harmful light, I lifted my restrained hands to my face, however it did not help much. One of the men lifted me out of the vehicle and pushed me to the ground.

"Not much bite left in this bitch." One man chuckled. "Get up!"

I struggled to rise to my feet. Hunger had made me weak and uncoordinated to the point where I felt like-

In an instant I vomited water onto the ground. I hadn't been fed for 2 or 3 days so nothing substantial came up. The rest of the party exited their cars. Each person went into the back of the car and revealed other captured people. Eventually everyone was taken out into an area where we were herded together in a large crowd of maybe 15 people.

" This weeks catch was a bit low." One of the armed men told another." I hope the boss doesn't get mad."

The first thought that ran across my mind was they were cannibals but I quickly dismissed it. Why wouldn't they have eaten me before?

The men began to lead us into a worn building that, for the most part, looked stable. As soon as we walked in, lots of people began to shout and scream at us. There were more than one hundred people trapped in locked rooms. All of them looked worn and hungry. The group was pushed along past all of them and finally to a group of cells that were completely empty . The armed men put some of the group 4 to a cell. Being the fifteenth person in the group, I was placed in a cell all by myself. I sat there listening to the agony from the other cells and it was truly heart wrenching.

"Psssst,"someone whispered. "Look at the wall behind you." I forced my back off of the cold concrete wall and positioned my body so I looked at a tiny crack in the wall that allowed me to peer into the next cell.

"What are you doing Sophia?" Another voiced hissed in a quiet whisper.

"Pete, we have to help other people," Sophia said back calmly. "What is your name sweetheart?"

"E-Ellie," I replied weakly.

"Oh this poor girl hasn't been fed in a couple of days." Sophia said, turning away from the hole in the wall.

"Please don't go," I pleaded."Why are we here?"

"Don't worry Ellie," Sophia replied softly, I could see a small part of her smile. "As for why we're here, I have no clue."

Another person shuffled in the cell next to me.

"This world was built on the labor of people,"He growled in his deep rich voice. "In order to build it back we're going to need the labor of people."

"We're slaves!" Pete exclaimed.

"Damn right," a familiar voice shouted. "Stay quiet prisoners." Sounds of metal being hit came from the cell next to me and suddenly they went quiet. The male voice continued on and stopped at my cell. He took out his key hastily and opened the lock.

"Hi," He said nervously. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." I stared at him and didn't have the strength to move a muscle in my body to defend myself. The man began to slowly toward me. He was slowly inching closer and closer...

"Joe, we need you over here man!" Someone shouted.

"Sorry I have to reschedule," he laughed. "Let us change it to tonight?" Joe left my cell and locked the cell door behind him.

"What was that Ellie," Sophia whispered to me. "What's happening with you two?"

Lumps began to appear in my throat."H-He killed my- and he."

I struggled to find the right words to say.

"He killed your family and did despicable things to you," Sophia concluded. "I promise that no harm will come to you while I'm still here,okay?"

Over the next couple of weeks, Joe did not visit me but he did smuggle extra food into my cell which I avoid at first but eventually I gave in and ate it. Sophia could not keep her promise because the unexpected autumn cold weakened me dramatically. The concrete cells held back lots of the wind but the fact was that they didn't block the frigid temperatures that were on the other side of the days, I spent the days alone between naps and staring at the stripping concrete.

One night, a voice dared to whispered to me from the hole in the wall.

" You don't have to be in isolation all of the hours of the day." A man whispered.

It was Pete.

I didn't reply. How did he know I was awake?

"Look I'm sorry we got off of the wrong foot," he sighed. " In all of the years we have been married, Sophia has tried to help every human being she's come into contact with. Call it her maternal instinct or her nursing school kicking in or whatever, but she's right:we have to keep each other safe."

I waited a minute before I replied.

"You have a daughter?"I asked.

"Yup," he told me. " Charlie was always so energetic and wanted to help people just like her mom."

"If you don't mind-" I began.

"How did she die," he finished grimly." She turned into one of those things." Pete went quiet for a few seconds. I looked at my left hand instinctively to look at my infection. It was dormant. I shed a tear for my friend Riley who was also infected. A long time passed and I assumed that Pete had drifted off to sleep. However, I sat awake for 2...3... No- 4 hours,thinking about all of the people I'd lost.

* * *

**Was this chapter too short? Was there something you enjoyed in particular? Please leave reviews and share with your friends! It helps a ton! Thanks. Stay safe.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Nobody**

* * *

Morning came around and left me completely exhausted. At first light, dogs began to bark and the Slave Traders began to shout for everyone to get up. I climbed to my feet.

Everyone was taken out of their cells and lined up in the hallway. Gradually, the line moved forward and I stepped closer to the unknown. Pete and Sophia, the only people I knew, stayed close to me. This was the first time I saw their faces.

Sophia was a woman of average height with a warm glowing face and fiery red hair. Pete was beginning to go gray and his face looked aged but his hazel eyes still showed youth and adventure.

"Stay close Ellie." Pete commanded. In about fifteen minutes, everyone was outside and being loaded into huge gray buses and orange vans. Pete was pulled away from Sophia and carried off somewhere else but it wasn't without a fight. Sophia was kicking and screaming and refused to separate from her husband but eventually she lost her grip and Pete was gone.

On the bus, Sophia was seated in front of me. She was unusually quiet the entire ride. I glanced out of the windows which were mostly covered with boards of wood. Through the wood I was able to see the trees stripped of all of their leaves. The buildings around looked desolate and empty and clear of any runners or clickers. After what felt like hours, the bus lurched to a stop. Immediately we were loaded out onto the pavement and into a large warehouse where dozens of people were looking around at other people. I stayed near Sophia but she was still petrified. We were all tied and restrained in various areas around the room. After a couple of minutes, someone walked over to me and began to inspect me to make sure I was up to their standard.

"How much does this one go for," the customer asked. " My wife wants one to help around the house."

"Trust me you don't want _this_ one," someone persuaded. "She's no good at housework and she bites." The man walked away and I was face to face with Joe grinning at me. For the next few hours, men and women who were interested in taking me approached but were quickly turned away by Joe. After an eternity, the customers were all gone. The Slave Traders rounded is back outside. I frantically searched for Sophia.

" Sophia," I screamed at the top of my lungs." Where is she?" Someone told me she was at the auction but I had no idea what that was. I continued my search but with no luck. Everyone went silent when three shots went up in the air.

The buses had arrived again and we were all loaded on the same as before. On the way back, however people dared to carry on conversations.

" I was almost sold to some freakin' cannibals, man."

"That's only the tip of the iceberg," someone replied." There are people wanting labor to do all sorts of things." I stopped listening to the conversation and frantically began to look around for Sophia, Pete, or anyone that would know their whereabouts. After about two or three minutes of searching, I abandoned my hopeless endeavor. Alone again, I thought, and there's nothing I can do. The bus gradually began to decelerate until finally the vehicle was stationary. The locked doors on the bus were open but before anyone could react one of the Slave Traders tossed in a gas canister. People began to cough and I was forced to close my eyes and cover my face because of the irritating burning sensation that I now felt. The Slave Traders rushed in with their faces covered in order to unload us back into the prison. Half an hour later, I was leaned up against the wall in my familiar cold cell. A stale roll of bread and a cup of water was at my feet but I had no appetite.

"Ellie," Pete whispered through the chink in the wall. "Where is Sophia?"

" I don't know." I replied. At that point, I began to hear muffled sobs next door. Suddenly, a tear ran down my cheek and I started to cry too. The sounds of Pete's sobbing and the cheers of the Slave Traders were the last thing I heard before I drifted off to sleep.

—-—-—-—-—-—-

When I opened my eyes they were almost glued shut from the dried tears. It was now early the very next day and the moonlight flooded into my cell. Soft footsteps were making their way down the hall. I sat up and looked at my cell. The soft footsteps were getting closer...and closer... And closer... Until finally someone walked past my cell.

"Hey." I whispered as loudly as I dared. As the person walked by I noticed... They had no shoes on.

The figure turned around and looked me in the eye and raised his hand to his mouth to take a bite of his bright red apple.

"Hi." They responded between chewing.

"Who the hell are you," I said. The person began to walk toward my cell until I could see them in the moonlight.

"Nobody." He said before he handed me the rest of his apple and walked away.


End file.
